The $289 Trillion Problem

Two hundred and eighty-nine trillion dollars. An unimaginable amount. That is the total of derivatives outstanding at the top five US bank holding companies as of March 31, 2012, according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

Debt crisis: Live

European Central Bank policymaker, Joerg Asmussen, urges Greece to stick to its reform agenda as markets digest data showing a slide in Spain, Greece and Italy's manufacturing activity and a rise in unemployment across the eurozone.

Bank of England prepares £200bn economic stimulus

The Bank of England is preparing to unleash a £200bn stimulus package for the economy by printing more money this week and relaxing financial regulations.

Europe’s bad debts 'will bite in 2013’

Bad debts in the eurozone are a “ticking time bomb” for the continent’s economy, with the worst effects expected to be felt next year, a report has warned.

Euro debt crisis: is complete pessimism justified?

Rarely have economists and policy-makers emitted such unmitigated gloom.

Italy has won this euro battle, but not the war

Long-suffering investors, desperate for some good news, have seized on the headlines from the latest in a long series of “last-ditch” European summits.

After Barclays, the golden age of finance is dead

Retribution and regulation are sure to follow the Barclays scandal, but if the City is shackled, Britain as a whole will suffer